Mission in the Street: Jason Wong

This marks the first installment of Mission in the Street: little snapshots of our community members and neighbors coming in, through or to Bartlett Street and the Mission Community Market. This week, Jason Wong from just around the corner on his first market visit! Thank you to Adriana Camarena for writing and interviewing, to Twin Girls' pluots, and to all the great Mission neighbors for sharing and getting out in the street:

Jason, con pluot

Jason Wong is joyful. He was walking back home, when he came across the Mission Community Market. He lives just a few blocks away. “I was going home, and I saw all of this. I ran home and got some money.” Jason is 15 years old and just concluded his summer job. With his earnings, he is purchasing a few groceries for his mom. Said to myself, ‘Gonna go get us some fruits!’” He opens his bag of purchases, and with a twinkle in his eye shows me some beautiful peaches, pluots and plums. He had never heard of pluots before, but he is taking them home now. “I guess not a lot of kids like me. I’ve never seen that before, that a kid like me, dressed like me, goes out and gets some fruits because he loves fruit so much.” He laughs, “But who knows, maybe if I tell my friends there was some good fruit here, they would come.” Jason has lived in the Mission all his life, and prides himself of his Asian-Salvadoran heritage. I ask if he is going to come back to the market next week. He responds, “Just as long as ya’ll keep it strong!” He moves on to buy mountain blueberries. (I’ve already sampled those little berries of bliss, and I know he is in for a treat). It was inspiring to see Jason spontaneously understand and embrace the bounty of a farmer’s market. Jason represented for Mission youth!

by Adriana Camarena